Poster Analysis

The A-Team

The characters on the poster appear as the main characters as none of them are cantered, however two of them are more forward than the other two and may be an indication that they are more important to the storyline. The iconography gives strong connotations of action. The title its self is silver and looks very metallic and masculine, on top of that there are bullet holes throughout the title reinforcing the use of guns and action. The tag line has a font similar to that on dog tags and contributes to the action theme. The uses and gratifications theory can be considered as an audience may want to watch this film for the entertainment and escapism of the action film, as there will be things happening in the film that people may not be able to experience in their own life.

Other action conventions are shown in the poster, the colours used are darker such as the dark blue sky. The main characters are shown holding guns, this is a strong convention of action films as it shown they will be involved in some for of conflict or violent behaviour.

The main target audience of this film is males as the poster shows four males with guns implying a lot of action. The uses and gratifications theory can be applied in two different ways, males may see this as an opportunity to escape real life, as they wont be able to partake in those activities involving guns but they can watch this film. They can also talk about it with their friends who also find this film interesting, as a means of social interaction for example when the films comes out, they will have an opportunity to talk about it and what aspects they liked.

No narrative is really established as there is no obvious binary opposite and none of Propps characters can really be seen.

The primary audience of this media text would be males due to the overall themes of the film and the action genre. A secondary audience for this film may be a C2D audience. This kind of film may appeal to the working class more. This audience may find it more appealing and may have more cause to use it as a form of escapism.

Poster Analysis

Sex and the city 2

The main characters are present in the poster, as one of the women seems to be in front of the other three, this could be a way of showing her importance to the film. The iconography used helps to convey the overall feminine layout of the poster. It contributes to the rom-com nature of the film. The initial text is golden, and looks like its sparkling, this gives a glamorous feel to the film. The 2 is bigger then the title and silver, this makes it stand out even more and contributes to the glamorous feel. The 2 could be more prominent so people know its a second film, and will make an effort to see it. For an audience that has seen the first one they may see this as an opportunity to for social interaction. As the uses and gratifications theory explains some audiences watch media texts as a means for social interaction, as they have seen the first they can discuss and compare.

The colours used in this poster are a lot softer and bright. The blues used at the top of the page give the connotations of a clear sunny day, also gives happy connotations as people are generally happier when the sun is out. It gives the impression this film will take place in a sunny location, some of the audience may see this as a way of escapism, they may not be able to go on holiday at the time and find comfort in watching a film that is set in a nice location. Other colour prominent in this poster is gold. Again this gives off the connotations of glamorous lifestyles, gold can be seen as the colour of money or riches, the colour also gives off connotations of sand and may be another indication of the setting of the film being near or around the beach.

The target audience of the film is apparent through the soft colours that give a more feminine effect. Also though the main characters on the cover. They are all female and the positioning and body language suggests they are going out, on a trip or a night out, it also indicates that the film will be following them, this will encourage females to watch as they may see it as a form of escapism or possibly even be able to relate the some of the themes of the film.

The narrative is hard to tell from a poster, there are no clues as to if stauss or Propps theorys can be applied as there are only females on the poster, no binary opposite can be established, and there is no clue that there will be a her, princess ect

textual analysis 2

Textual analysis

The Dark Knight rises is a successful action/thriller film with a sinister nature. This is shown through the darkness of the poster. The only bright part is the Batman logo, which is made out to look like an explosion, or fire. Something destructive, this also adds to the action feel of the film, the main character, Batman, is shown centre frame, this allows the audience to identify with his importance, but he is also shown to be mysterious, as he is masked and has a shadow on the part of his face that you can see, this could have conotations of a darker side to him, or just add to the mystery. The crumbling buildings and broken glass also add to the destructive nature of the poster enhancing the action/thriller feel of the film. Warner Bros. pictures is one of the companies associated with this movie, and this is indicated at the bottom of the poster. the tag line 'fire will rise' creates an enigma, and also goes well with the visual of the burning bat logo. all text including the title is simplistic and stands out against the dark colours used in the poster, however the title is made more interesting with another bat logo behind it, however it looks cracked or smashed, this could have conotations of Batman becoming currupt or possibly being beaten.

Total recall has a futuristic setting, this is shown through the colours used as well as the buildings that appear in the background. although is an iconic building like Big Ben, there are other buildings shown hovering above it, there are also men that look like robots shown to the right, again in the background. Colin Farrell is shown centre frame letting the audience know he is the main character however Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel are also shown indicating they also have important roles in the film, however they are not shown to the same scale and Colin Farrell. green is a colour that people have come to associate with aliens, possibly because the stereotypical view of an alien is now a little green man. however this colour can now be used as an indicator of sci fi films. using a greenish tint in the background of this poster it may trigger a response in some people making them associate the colour with aliens, space, and futuristic technology such as space ships. the title 'TOTAL RECALL' is shown in capitals and grabs attention without distracting from the overall poster. it has a metallic look to, again this could be associated with sci fi films as some perceptions of the future involve rooms that may have metallic walls floors and maybe even furniture. there are a number of guns shown in this poster from both the main characters and the 'robot men' this could be an indication of action themes in the plot.

James Bond poster Analysis

Semiotics

A sign is anything that could signify a meaning. This could either mean a denotation, what is actually there. What you can see. Or a connotation, What you can pick out, what is inferred or how you interoperate something.

For example in this picture from the Labyrinth (1986) you can pick out the denotation is there is a girl in a white dress, with three other people surrounding her. The connotation of the white dress could be purity, showing she is good. The connotations of the people around here, from their posture and facial expresions could be that they intend to course trouble for the girl, the masks could show that it is a masquerade party, however as she has no mask it could show that they are evil and choose to hide who they are.

Signs can communicate their meaning in three different ways – Iconic, Indexical and symbolic.

Iconic meanings are based on the denotation of the sign with suggestions of its connotations. There are people surrounding her, are they friends or foe?

Indexical meanings are based more on the connotations that we associate with something. Her dress is white, we may associate this with purity

Symbolic meanings are connotations that are usually assigned by our culture. A white dress is normally worn on your wedding day, we would assume that she may be at her wedding by the clothes she is wearing.

In linguistics, all signs have two aspects to them – the signifier and the signified.

The signifier is whatever a thing is literally, and is the same as the denotation of something.

The signified is whatever a thing refers to, so it is the same as the connotation of something.

　

If we look at the word:

ROSE

We see that these are just letters on the page forming a word (signifier / denotation). But in our mind we see the image of a rose (signified / connotation).

If we look at the image of a rose:

We see that it is a rose (signifier / denotation). But in our mind we understand that a rose represents love, romance etc. (signified / connotation).

Another example of this

Look at the word:

FIRE

The signifier/denotation is they are just letters. The signified/connotation is we see an image of fire

When we look at the image of fire it can be associated with anger.

Mise-en-scéne

This is a French term meaning “placing on stage” it is the arrangement of everything that appears in the frame of a shot. This includes set design, and any props, actors, spacing, lighting and even costume. Even what is put in or left out of a scene can make a difference. Set design can amplify a characters personality, help tell a story and set a scene. Different props can mean different things, and the way they are perceived can affect a scene. Using a prop or setting a scene correctly can be critical to getting your message across during a scene. 

Lighting is another critical aspect of filming that can affect a scene. The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting have a big effect on the way an image is perceived. Light and shade can emphasize texture, shape, distance, and mood, time of day or night and seasons. It affects the way colours are rendered, both in terms of hue and depth, and can focus attention on particular elements of the composition.

Spacing in a film can be important. The proximity between characters can help the audience distinguish relationships, and the emotions. Also the size and proportions of objects and characters can have an effect. If it is a close up or long shot, it can all affect the mood of a scene.

Depending on what costume a character is wearing, the audience can tell who they are, or what part they may be playing in the film. For example a homeless person wouldn’t be walking around in a suit, or a rich person in rags. Also colours in costume can make a difference. For example in a horror, the murder wouldn’t be taken seriously wearing bright clothing.

A simple scene can be the setting for two completely different genres. If you change the lighting or the way an image is perceived, then it can have a drastic effect on the mood and atmosphere of a film.

For example a house:

 This could be the setting for a romantic style film. The placing of the trees and other plants give it a homely feel, and the use of bright colours sets the right mood. The sky is blue and bright, giving the impression it is a clear sunny day. The house also has bright colours that makes it more inviting.

Where as in this picture, there are dead trees, and much darker colours that give it a more sinister feel. The sky is dark, giving the effect of night time which is a time most people associate with bad things happening. Also the house is tinted a darkish, unattractive colour. The angle of the shot also makes the house look more intimidating, like it is towering over you.